When Leaders Lead

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by Mike Jones

Tony, I see the same situation with Indy cars. It will be interesting for me, if RP can reach young fans. Few are as fascinated with cars as we were.
MJ

You're not wrong.

The biggest issue with F1 is that the performance of the cars is so far apart. I guess I like the cars being the same on an oval or road course when the driving can really shine.

It's not to say that there aren't driving skills used in professional drag racing, but it usually isn't impressive to watch from the stands or on TV. I do enjoy watching nitro in person, but it's a sensory experience for the noise, smells, and feelings.

[ken robinson]

Ok good point but if the 2 camaros from 1969 are not good enough for the fans . What would you add to the list/ guide of cars and manufacturer s
? Which car would you like to field ?

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by ken robinson

Ok good point but if the 2 camaros from 1969 are not good enough for the fans . What would you add to the list/ guide of cars and manufacturer s
? Which car would you like to field ?

If you want to attract younger fans, you have to include the kind of cars those younger fans are interested in and would like to own.

People around my age (62) enjoy watching '69 Camaros because they were cars we lusted after when we were old enough to start thinking about what kind of car we wanted when we were old enough to drive.

I can see a time when there will be Teslas racing in the Stock classes.

[Mike Schwartz]

Originally Posted by ken robinson

Ok good point but if the 2 camaros from 1969 are not good enough for the fans . What would you add to the list/ guide of cars and manufacturer s
? Which car would you like to field ?

Cars that people are buying and driving in 2019? I wrote the following in another thread in 2016, and the situation has not changed since then, with one exception:

How many FWD combos never were built because they aren't even in the Classification Guide? Ford, for example, has had no legal FWD cars since the 1997 model year (meaning both weight and engine specs). Dodge and Chrysler have nothing since 2004, not even the Dart used in Pro Stock. Chevrolet is the most recent, with the 2008 Cobalt, and that is already eight years old.

I neglected to mention Honda at the time, which still has had nothing since 2007.

Here is the total list of 2017, '18 or '19 cars in the Classification Guide:

• Chevrolet Camaro Coupe 2 Dr COPO
• Dodge Challenger Coupe 2 Dr Hellcat
• Dodge Challenger R/T Coupe 2 Dr 1320
• Ford Focus Sedan 4 Dr RS
• Ford Mustang Coupe 2 Dr Cobra Jet

Camaros, Challengers and Mustangs comprised only 1.2% of US car and light truck sales in 2017 and 1.1% in 2018. So not only are the only current models in the Guide a tiny fraction of the cars that are being sold, only limited editions of those models are legal to race.

[voltdr]

With the exception of current racers interests, our sport is "entertainment". Most of us watch our different classes race because of an interest in that race. Whether that is because we know the racers involved or we race a similar class/vehicle. Getting "outsiders" interested is very difficult. In my class, Super Comp, the casual spectator doesn't understand, or want to, all the different variables it takes to make our cars do what we want them to do. Most friends that have come to the track to watch me race are stunned at what goes into making a run down the track. Most can't believe that we have weather stations at our trailers to help with tuning.
We as racers have caused our own confusing circumstances. Using a throttle stop to slow a 7.20 car down to 8.90 isn't very exciting from the grandstands, but very complex. More explanation needs to be given for spectators understand why. It's to help confuse the car in the other lane as to reaction times. If everyone could only run 8.90 @ 149, it would be easier to see who is ahead due to a better reaction time.
We can't put the Jeanie back in the bottle as to limits on electronics, mph etc. We need to better educate outsiders as to how difficult it is to do what we do. C'mon to make any car run within .005 between the early morning and late afternoon runs is pretty precise. The cars without electronics, just all slow down as the weather deteriorates. We have to know how much it slows down and what to do make them run the same.
Take time at the track and show a spectator what it is you do and make them enjoy watching you and your class race. Let them sit in your car and take pictures. Show them that there is a personal side to our sport.
Whew.................
Dan Foley
SC 4698

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by voltdr

With the exception of current racers interests, our sport is "entertainment". Most of us watch our different classes race because of an interest in that race. Whether that is because we know the racers involved or we race a similar class/vehicle. Getting "outsiders" interested is very difficult. In my class, Super Comp, the casual spectator doesn't understand, or want to, all the different variables it takes to make our cars do what we want them to do. Most friends that have come to the track to watch me race are stunned at what goes into making a run down the track. Most can't believe that we have weather stations at our trailers to help with tuning.
We as racers have caused our own confusing circumstances. Using a throttle stop to slow a 7.20 car down to 8.90 isn't very exciting from the grandstands, but very complex. More explanation needs to be given for spectators understand why. It's to help confuse the car in the other lane as to reaction times. If everyone could only run 8.90 @ 149, it would be easier to see who is ahead due to a better reaction time.
We can't put the Jeanie back in the bottle as to limits on electronics, mph etc. We need to better educate outsiders as to how difficult it is to do what we do. C'mon to make any car run within .005 between the early morning and late afternoon runs is pretty precise. The cars without electronics, just all slow down as the weather deteriorates. We have to know how much it slows down and what to do make them run the same.
Take time at the track and show a spectator what it is you do and make them enjoy watching you and your class race. Let them sit in your car and take pictures. Show them that there is a personal side to our sport.
Whew.................
Dan Foley
SC 4698

That really sucks !

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by voltdr

Take time at the track and show a spectator what it is you do and make them enjoy watching you and your class race. Let them sit in your car and take pictures. Show them that there is a personal side to our sport.

That's great but first you have to get them to the track.

[Travis Miller]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

That's great but first you have to get them to the track.

And when you get them to the track you take them up into the stands for time trials. You explain that racers get a few runs to either qualify for positions or to make runs to figure out how quick their car is running that day. Explain how the starting system works, first with the staging lights and then the countdown to green. Point out that the scoreboards at the finish line show the elapsed time (ET), which is how long it takes the car to cover the measured distance. The scoreboards also show how fast in MPH the car was going at the end of the measured distance. That gives everyone a clear view of how each car preforms.

Now comes eliminations. If the first eliminations are heads-up, it is easy to see who wins as shown on the scoreboards. When handicapped eliminations start, a driver gets to the pick the ET their car will run. That ET is shown on the bottom of the scoreboard as the driver approaches the starting line. The difference in ET between the two cars is where the handicapping comes into play. The slower car by ET gets to take off first then the faster car chases. As the cars cross the finish line the scoreboards show which lane is the winner. It is possible for a car to lose by running quicker than the dial-in even though they got their first. All this can be seen by the spectators if the dial-in is still shown on the bottom of the scoreboard Tracks that replace the dial-in by showing the MPH on the bottom of the scoreboard during handicapped eliminations can confuse new spectators making it hard for them to understand why a car lost.

If the dial-in is still shown on the bottom of the scoreboard during handicapped racing it is easy for any spectator to understand the race. When the MPH replaces the dial-in it can get confusing for the spectator. There is no reason to show the MPH during handicapped eliminations. Leave the dial-in on the board.

[jwsamuel]

That's a great explanation but too complicated. If you want to put fans in the stands, it has to be quick, fun and exciting. That means simple. Casual fans don't care about time runs or qualifying. They don't want to have to look at the numbers to figure out what happened. People can understand handicapped starts and why one car gets the green before the other. Where they have trouble and lose interest is when one car gets to the finish line first but loses the race.

There are a lot of changes I would make in the sport if I were in charge. But if I did, I bet at least 75% of the people who come to this website would want to see me put away and things taken back to where they were.

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

People can understand handicapped starts and why one car gets the green before the other. Where they have trouble and lose interest is when one car gets to the finish line first but loses the race.

Most tracks don't have seating anywhere close enough to the finish line where the casual spectators can tell who got there first.

What we do is far more complicated than a casual fan is willing to fully understand. I've had surprisingly interested responses when I've explained throttle stop racing at a high level when a fan has asked; how the stop works and what we are trying to do.